The facts at hand
state that Alexander McKenzie and his party of four men left
Fort Langley on Sunday 13 January 1828, "provided with
Guides and well supplied with Provisions". At some
point after leaving a Clallam village and before they got to
Fort Vancouver, they were attacked.

The first word of the
attack was brought ot Fort Langley on 13 February 1828 by
Cowhican chief Shashia. Shashia said he had heard a
report in the Lummi Country that McKenzie and party had been
killed by the Clallams somewhere very near to Whidbey Island.

On 7 March 1828, they
received word from Kwantlen chief Whitlekenum about the
McKenzie party. Wrote George Barnston in the journal
that day, "Such a Rumour vague as we at present take it
to be, tends still to inspire us with serious alarm, and if
confirmed the event will cause much sorrow, and be attended
with very important consequences."

11 March 1828,
Sheinten, a Musqueam chief stopped by with a canoe load of
shell fish and said he'd heard the chief of the Clallum had
saved a member of the McKenzie party and "sent him off
to Vancouver."

It wasn't until 15
April 1828, that Donald Manson, returning from Fort
Vancouver, brought confirmation that all members of the
McKenzie party had been killed, except for McKenzie's wife,
who was taken captive.

It is unclear as to
why they were attacked. One of the most popular
theories as to why McKenzie and party were slain was that the
Clallam had "urgently demanded" that McKenzie NOT
visit the Cowichan; McKenzie didn't take thier demands
seriously and visited the Cowichan anyway, which was counted
as an act of treachery and betrayal by the Clallam.
Thus, if this was the reason behind the killing, from
the Clallam point of view, it was justified.

Another theory is that
McKenzie's wife, the Princess of Wales, a daughter of the
Chinook chief Comcomly, had something to do with it, being as
she was a woman of wealth and had owned "many slaves
some of whom may have been Clallam." The McKenzie
party may have been slain in order to take the Princess of
Wales captive.